NAVAJO ELDER TO SPEAK AT THE ANASAZI HERITAGE CENTER (06-11-13)

DOLORES, Colo.- James Peshlakai, a Navajo elder, storyteller, teacher and artist who successfully bridges cultural gaps, will share his insights at1 p.m. on Sunday, June 30at the Anasazi Heritage Center.

Peshlakai taught Applied Indigenous Studies as the Elder-in-Residence at Northern Arizona University, where he applied his passion for Navajo cultural preservation to teach students about native plants, geology, self-reliance and cultural values.

He also helped found the Navajo Arts and Crafts Cooperative, one of America’s first native arts cooperatives, and the Peshlakai Dancers troupe, which performs across the country. As a singer he released an album entitledSongs of the Navajoin 2009.

Peshlakai was born near Wupatki National Monument north of Flagstaff, Ariz., where his father, uncles and grandfathers were allhatathli(medicine men).

This event is part of the 2013 Four Corners Lecture Series: “Knowing the Greater Southwest,” a cooperative community project.

The Anasazi Heritage Center (27501 Hwy. 184 in Dolores) is headquarters for Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. It is open daily from9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission to the museum is free on the day of the lecture.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2013, the BLM generated $4.7 billion in receipts from public lands.